Magitech Rises (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 3)

by Sarah Noffke

  Lunis had come out from the wall and was knocking down dingo after dingo as they tried to attack him from the side. The ones who were on fire had run through the bushes, setting many of them on fire and making the dark night ablaze with orange.

  Sophia swung Inexorabilis around, catching a monster in her peripheral as she spun. She stabbed the zombie in the midsection and kicked it off her sword, but that did little to stop it from coming at her again.

  It lunged, its teeth nearly grazing her unscathed pant leg. She brought her other foot around and kicked the monster in the head, which seemed only to insult it and make it run back at her faster.

  Meanwhile, Lunis was throwing the dingoes two at a time, launching them like softballs. This only seemed to encourage the monsters. As soon as they hit the ground, they were back on their feet and sprinting for Lunis.

  Sophia had little time to check on her dragon, as she had two dingoes who were trying to make her into dinner, or a zombie. She knew magic could help her, although she wasn’t sure how. There had to be a spell to stop the undead, but she knew magic wasn’t an option. She could have turned to magic before, but the point of this exercise was to find other choices.

  Giving up now would only make her job harder the next time. It was better to do this right the first time, even if it meant she might get bitten by a zombie. She hoped Bermuda hadn’t gotten off too far if that happened, because she would probably need the giantess’s help to heal herself, yet again.

  Chapter Ninety-Four

  For hours, Sophia and Lunis defended their camp, staying close to each other. Lunis only used fire when it grew too dark to make out their enemies. Lighting them up only seemed to excite the zombies. Still, they both needed the light.

  Sophia sliced through the dingoes, but it did little to get rid of them. It seemed to slow a few, but only because it made it harder for them to spring off the ground and attack with their many lacerations or missing body parts. Lunis batted at the dingoes who tried to attack him, but even that became a challenge as his energy waned and theirs didn’t.

  There were a few desperate moments where Sophia almost resorted to magic when she thought they were about to be ambushed. She watched as a zombie’s jaws nearly connected with Lunis’ side. If it wasn’t for his thick hide, the animal would have bitten him, infecting him with whatever had made it the way it was. In the end, Lunis was able to knock the beast away with a swipe of his tail, sending it into the rock wall, where it slid to the ground before popping back up, ready to keep playing.

  Sophia could hardly breathe from the constant fighting and was close to making a costly mistake when the dingo she was fighting backed away, its red eyes narrowed on her like she’d finally done something to offend it.

  She glanced at her sword and wondered if Inexorabilis had projected some new power that worked on these strange zombies. That’s when she noticed the fires had burned out, but there was an orange light glowing on the horizon.

  The sun was rising in the Australian Outback, and with it, the zombie dingoes were retreating, one by one.

  The pack hurried away as the bright orange ball that promised to bring sweltering temperatures rose in the distance.

  Sophia couldn’t believe she was happy to see the sun that would make the day completely intolerable. However, it appeared the zombie creatures didn’t do daylight, which meant Lunis and Sophia had some respite until nightfall.

  She slumped next to her dragon, lowering her sword for the first time in hours. Her breath was ragged, and the cold chill of the retreating night air grazed over her sweat covered back made her shiver.

  Sophia sank against Lunis, who staggered on his feet, exhaustion heavy in his body too. They had survived the night, but now they had another day that would bring its own challenges.

  Chapter Ninety-Five

  Sophia yawned, making her dragon copy her.

  “How is that gesture even contagious for dragons?” she asked, laughing and wishing she could magic some coffee. She searched the scorched area, her brain looking for some coffee plants she could harvest.

  Yawning is universally contagious no matter who you are, but especially if you spent half the night fighting zombie dingoes, he replied.

  “If I had a nickel for every time you ever said that…”

  You would have a nickel, he retorted.

  “Coffee…” Sophia pulled her mouth to the side, thinking. “How do we make coffee from dirt, dry kindling, and a bunch of strange bugs?”

  You didn’t bring any magic beans with you, did you? Lunis joked.

  Sophia shook her head. “If I did, Mahkah would have confiscated them.”

  She considered convincing Lunis they should duck back into the modest shelter and take a nap, but the temperature was already rising. Sophia knew it would be next to impossible for her to sleep in this heat, especially with Lunis radiating warmth.

  There was also the fact they needed to hunt, eat, hydrate, and take care of their other personal needs.

  Surviving was exhausting, she thought, pushing her dirty hair out of her face.

  Okay, Lunis said, his voice slow and words slurred. Do you want to be in charge of water, and I’ll go and get us a kangaroo to roast?

  Sophia nodded, not even daring to argue she needed to hunt her own food. She’d come so far since the day before when she thought she had to do everything herself, to prove she could survive on her own. The walkabout wasn’t about being strong enough on her own. It was about the two of them relying on one another and being strong enough together. Divide and conquer.

  Lunis lit a fire before taking off, slumping at first before he recovered. He was fatigued from the long fight, but they would pull through together.

  Sophia went to work to collect water to be boiled. It was slow work since she only had so many rock containers. Her pants were drenched within minutes, which reminded her she’d need a bath at some point.

  After breakfast, she decided, wondering what her face looked like. She was pretty certain it was covered in dirt, and her hair was matted to her head in different places.

  While she was trying to find more rocks to drop on the ground and crack open, to reveal a hollow center that made a nice bowl, Sophia found some pretty gemstones which, if polished, could be really nice. She collected a few and stuck them in her pocket, thinking they might make good jewelry.

  She planned on spending the day surviving the Outback, but if the opportunity presented itself, she thought she might take some time to be creative. A nap might not be in her future, but some creative exploits could be her saving grace.

  A short time later, Lunis returned, carrying a sizable kangaroo that was thankfully dead. He set it a safe distance away from the camp and went to work cleaning the thing with his claws. Sophia was grateful he was an expert butcher because she didn’t want that job. She had collected enough kindling to keep them supplied through the next few days.

  The next task was to determine how to protect the camp from the zombie dingoes. It wasn’t certain they would be back come nightfall, but it was a safe assumption.

  “Can we construct a border fence?” Sophia asked, biting into the meat, its grease dripping down her chin. Without a napkin to sop it up, she was forced to use the back of her hand to wipe it away. Suddenly she felt like one of the guys at the Castle, being all uncivilized.

  Lunis thought for a moment as he ate his meat raw, not because he didn’t like it roasted or seasoned. He was a cultured dragon, after all. Mostly it was because he didn’t want to go to the extra work and said the kangaroo was fine as it was.

  We could set some traps for them, he suggested.

  “Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Sophia said. “Like some spikes under the ground and netting, maybe?”

  He nodded. I think it will slow them down, but honestly, it won’t stop them. They are unrelenting.

  “Should we consider moving the camp somewhere else?” Sophia pointed up to the top of the mountain. “How about there?”

&
nbsp; I think they can climb, Lunis stated. And I think we’re better off being close to our water supply and having the shelter of the mountain at our back. I hate to admit it, but if they could have surrounded us fully we may not have survived.

  Sophia agreed with a nod. She thought the same thing. It had been the only relief they’d had last night when they could put their back to the wall and know they only had to focus on three fronts.

  “I wonder what they are all about?” she wondered. “Like, where did they come from, and what do they want?”

  Besides to eat us and turn us into zombies? Lunis asked.

  Sophia finished her food and washed it down with water. “Yeah, besides that.”

  I’m not sure, but hopefully they won’t be back tonight.

  Sophia rose and tried to shake off the dirt, which was sort of a ridiculous notion at this point. “I hope so, too, but if they are, we are going to be prepared.”

  Chapter Ninety-Six

  Lunis and Sophia spent the rest of the day tirelessly setting traps for the zombie dingoes. She used her sword to sharpen stakes he’d then buried under the sand. Later they worked together to create some netting from bushes that had really tangled branches.

  Using a rudimentary pulley system, they were able to set the traps up so a single action would activate them and scoop up the trespassing creature.

  Sophia was pleasantly surprised by the end of the day that she had gone so long and done so many complex tasks without magic. Their traps were still full of faults, and she and Lunis worried the dingoes were smart enough to get around them.

  One of us is going to have to keep watch, Lunis suggested.

  “I’ll take the first shift,” she offered, having never seen him as tired as he was that day.

  He didn’t argue, probably knowing she wouldn’t back down regardless. Okay, but wake me up in a few hours and I’ll take over. And of course, wake me up at the first sign of the dingoes.

  “Hopefully, they will find someone else to torture tonight,” she said and settled next to her dragon as the sun set. She patted him affectionately as his heavy eyes closed and sent him straight into dreams.

  Sophia knew that last night he could have taken off at any point and escaped the zombies. However, he couldn’t take her, and so he’d fought by her side. She hugged into him, feeling more bonded to her dragon than ever before. Sophia hardly thought it possible since she’d known him since birth, and yet, turmoil had brought them closer.

  Sophia could have opened a portal and escaped the carnage, but that would have been cheating. They were going to pass this training without breaking any rules. The other dragonriders had, and so would she.

  It boggled Sophia’s brain that Evan had survived the Outback for seven days when he complained if his toast was room temperature, but she guessed he could weather many different storms when he wanted.

  The first watch went without any trespassing by the zombies, at which point Sophia gently woke Lunis and told him it was his turn to take over.

  He did so without a word, thoughtfully squeezing her into him with his wing folded around her. Sophia had closed her eyes for less than a minute and was already deep in dreams when Lunis jumped to his feet, blasting fire up to the sky to briefly illuminate their surroundings.

  They are back, he said, his words full of anger.

  Sophia sluggishly got to her feet, nearly falling on her face. “Of course, they are. I think they are after my beauty sleep.”

  The dragon flashed her a smile, rejuvenated by his few hours of rest. You look beautiful. But look alive. Something tells me the beasts are more rambunctious than last night.

  “What tells you that?” she asked over the chorus of growls in the distance, red flashing eyes sparking up the darkness.

  Something dropped onto the roof over their heads, nearly making the structure buckle under them.

  Sophia was instantly glad they hadn’t taken to higher ground with the zombie dingoes jumping into their camp from above. She pulled out her sword, ready for whatever came next.

  The dog peeked his head down below the roof as uf to say hello, but Sophia wasn’t in the mood for unexpected visitors. She brought Inexorabilis up and around, her tiredness making her break through the roof as she sent the mutt tumbling to the ground and rolling toward the perimeter of their camp where he fell onto one of the buried spikes, making him retreat as he howled.

  The traps kept the zombies back but didn’t deter them entirely. Again, Lunis and Sophia spent the entire night keeping the monsters away. It wasn’t until sunrise the strange dogs retreated, leaving the pair more exhausted than the night before. Sophia actually slumped against Lunis, almost asleep on tired feet.

  Chapter Ninety-Seven

  You need a nap, he said when all was clear.

  She wanted to argue but had no energy to do so. Sophia allowed Lunis to lower her onto the dirt floor of the broken shelter where the sun was already streaming through, threatening any ounce of sleep. She had no idea how she’d rest with the temperature rising and her stomach starting to growl.

  Before long, she forgot her troubles and fell into a dreamless sleep.

  When Sophia awoke, she was in comfortable darkness. None of it made sense based on what she remembered. Turning over in the dirt, she tried to make sense of her world.

  The darkness lifted, and Sophia found she’d been under Lunis’ wing, which was nice and cool in contrast to the assaulting heat and brightness of the Australian Outback. It came shooting into her as soon as he pulled his wing away.

  Good evening, Sunshine, he said, smiling down at her as she rose.

  “Did you say evening?” she asked, stretching and noticing the sun was close to the horizon.

  Yes, you missed most of the day, he answered. But I saved you some roo. He indicated the fire.

  Her stomach lurched with desire at the sight of the roasted meat over the waning fire. “I can’t believe I slept the day.”

  You needed it, he said.

  “And you hunted and kept your wing over me?” she asked, going to work on the meat.

  Well, not at the same time, he admitted. I’m sorry. I had to leave you here in the scorching heat while I hunted, but you weren’t alone for long.

  “Thank you,” she said between bites.

  Always, he said at once and then gave their broken structure a regretful glance. I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to repair our shelter, but even if I had, I’m not sure I could have done much good.

  Sophia laughed. “Yeah, you probably wouldn’t have nailed it, but the thought is what counts.” She chewed and listened to the strange noises of the Outback for a moment before asking the question on both their minds. “So, tonight…”

  Yeah, they will probably return, Lunis replied.

  “And you spent all day watching after me and not able to set traps.”

  No, Lunis argued. You spent half the night watching out for me. I simply returned the favor, not that there should be any of those between us. I do things for you because I want to, not out of return or obligation.

  “Well, still,” Sophia stated. “Night is quickly approaching, and we have no traps, no structure, and I sense the dogs are getting smarter.”

  Lunis gave her a commiserating expression. I was thinking the same thing. They seem to learn more each night and come back with better attacks.

  Sophia let out a breath, feeling heavy and lost.

  They were exhausted, wrecked from the obstacles of the Outback. And yet, she wasn’t even close to quitting. She allowed her mind to trail back to when they started this journey, a long and strangely short three days ago. She’d already learned so much since then and grown so much. She and Lunis had bonded in new ways. She remembered the poem by Rumi, and it washed over her like spring rain, which would have been wonderful, but it was only in the metaphorical sense.

  “…an unexpected visitor.

  Welcome and entertain them all!

  Even if they are a crowd…who violen
tly sweep your house…treat each guest honorably.

  He may be clearing you out

  for some new delight.

  The dark thought, the shame, the malice.

  Meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

  Be grateful for whatever comes.

  because each has been sent

  as a guide from beyond.”

  Sophia sucked in a breath, not believing what she was about to suggest. Before she could, Lunis rose, casting her in his shadow.

  You aren’t proposing… he began, sensing her thoughts.

  She swallowed. Straightened. Nodded.

  “I think we have to allow them into our camp,” she stated with confidence. “We can’t fight them. We have to welcome our demons.”

  Chapter Ninety-Eight

  With the broken shelter littering the wall behind them, Sophia and Lunis lay together, both vibrating with anxiety.

  It was strange to have options to get out of bad situations and not use them. Lunis could fly. Sophia could portal away. They both had magic. And yet, they were going to lie together and rest while furious beasts they’d battled for hours on end invaded their camp.

  The sun’s final rays spread across the Outback, making the land glow. Sophia was still exhausted even after sleeping all day. She was certain she’d stay up most of the night since she was too curious to shut her eyes properly.

  “You need to sleep, though,” she said to Lunis, knowing he was listening to her thoughts.

  Just until they arrive, he promised and closed his eyes, obviously tired from the partial night’s sleep and the demands of the day.